A Truly Sustainable Economic System

Everyone

Sustainability focussed economists are shifting the description of sustainability from what is referred to as the weak model (left) to the strong model (right).

In the strong model, both society and the economy are recognized as lying within the bounds of the planet’s limits, and the role of economics is first and foremost to serve society. In weaker models, it is not obvious that depletion of the environment results both in a decrease of society (population) and of the economy. The weak model gives the same priority to all three components, whereas the strong model recognises environmental limits as the most important factor, followed by social sustainability, and then economics.